Bill requires mental health reports for gun checks

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A bill that would limit access to guns in New Hampshire to people who have been judged by a court to be mentally ill faces a hearing in a Senate committee Tuesday.

The bill is being considered in the aftermath of deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and the Washington Navy Yard.

Gun control advocates have failed over the years to restrict gun owners’ rights to keep and bear arms, but Sen. David Watters’ bill has the backing of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms industry based in Newtown.

The bill would add a stringent definition of people judged by a court to be mentally ill to the list of people denied the right to buy guns during background checks.